Vassar alums are some of the smartest, hippest, most well-informed people in the world, people who pride themselves on their open-mindedness and their progressive thinking. They’re also extraordinarily loyal to their alma mater and extraordinarily vocal about everything that goes on at Vassar. If they don’t like something, you’re going to hear about it.

So when Nesnadny + Schwartz was given the opportunity to redesign the alumnae/i magazine, the Vassar Quarterly — which looked the way it had looked for about 50 years — we held our breath after the first issue went out, waiting for the onslaught of email from all 33,000 alumnae/i.

But they liked it. They didn’t even flinch at the name change to Vassar: The Alumnae/i Quarterly. They liked its classically contemporary look. They liked the recurring departments, offering readers quick access to pertinent information. They liked the feature stories, the bold photography, and the custom-designed graphic treatments. And they especially liked that we didn’t mess with the class notes. Sometimes, it’s best to leave well enough alone.